Readily mountable soap dish



July 13, 1965 B- LEMMOND READILY MOUNTABLE SOAP DISH Filed March 9, 1964 D N O M M E L E C U R B United States Patent 3,194,526 READILY MOUNTABLE SOAP DESI-l Bruce Lemrnond, Rte. 2, Decatur, Ala. Filed Mar. 9, 1964, Ser. No. 350,490 2 Claims. (Cl. 248-226) This invention relates to devices produced for the convenience, comfort and benefit of the occupants of various areas including indoors, especially in areas where pipes are exposed but where facilties including for soap and the like are absent or at least are extremely limited.

The invention relates particularly to the provision of a readily mountable soap dish or a soap dish having means by which it can be mounted on a pipe or other small object having opposed surfaces the distance between which is relatively small and on which the soap dish can be readily secured.

In washrooms and areas where provision is made for washing the hands and other washing operations, frequently there is no provision for the holding and retention of soap with the result that it is not available because it is discarded or not maintained in a clean condition inviting its re-use and promoting sanitary conditions.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simple and inexpensive soap dish by means of which soap and small toilet articles can be supported, with means by which said soap dish can be easily and quickly mounted on a pipe regardless of whether the latter is in a generally horizontal or upright position and with such mounting means adjustable so that the soap dish can be mounted beside, above, or below the pipe on which it is mounted.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description considered in conjunction with the drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating a simple form of soap dish in accordance with the present invention with means for attaching it to an upright pipe;

FIG. 2, a similar view with means for supporting it beneath a generally horizontal pipe;

FIG. 3, a similar form of soap dish with similar supports carried at the ends of the soap dish;

FIG. 4, a top plan view of a soap dish with supporting means connected thereto by a universal joint for attachment, for example, in one position to an upright pipe, in another position for suspension from a pipe, and in a third position for mounting it upon a pipe; and

FIG. 5, a section on the line 5 of FIG. 4.

Briefly stated the present invention is a readily mountable soap dish or container having a main portion for holding soap and other portions for holding tooth brushes, and with a mounting bracket attached to the soap dish so that it may be readily applied to a pipe to mount the soap dish thereon, such mounting bracket having a bifurcated portion of spring fingers which readily move apart when the device is applied but due to their springinessthey tend to return to their initial position and consequently bind upon the pipe to hold the soap dish in place. The bracket may be attached to the side of the soap dish in a manner to engage an upright pipe, as illustrated in FIG. 1; it may be suspended beneath a generally horizontal pipe, as illustrated in FIG. 2; or if desired for suspending the soap dish a pair of brackets, one on each side, may be employed, as illustrated in FIG. 3; or the bracket may be attached to the soap dish by a simple universal joint, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

With continued reference to the drawing, a soap dish may be produced of any desired material, such as metal or plastic, and may have a bottom with drainage openings 11 and may have side walls 12 and 13 and end walls 14 and 15, with horizontal top flanges 16 and 17 provided with slots or openings 18 and 19 for tooth brushes or other toilet articles of conventional character. If desired the 3,194,526 Patented July 13, 1965 side walls may have rolled or otherwise reinforced edges 24 and 21. Thus a soap dish is provided capable of retaining a cake of soap of substantial size.

In order to mount the soap dish, mounting means is provided in the form of a bracket 22 having diverging base or mounting flanges 23 and 24, and spaced oppositely curved gripping flanges 25 and 26, with tips 27 and 28 bent apart slightly to facilitate application of the mounting bracket onto a generally upright pipe 29 of the piping system located in the area.

Instead of the simple bracket of FIG. 1 designed for application to an upright pipe, the soap tray may be provided with an elbow bracket 30, such bracket being of a length to suspend the soap dish beneath a generally horizontal pipe; otherwise the bracket is the same. In the soap dish illustrated in the embodiments of both FIGS. 1 and 2 the nrounting bracket is at the center of one side of the dish or container for proper balance, although if desired a pair of aligned mounting brackets 31 may be employed, each bracket so employed having divergent mounting flanges attached to the end flanges 16 and 17 of the soap dish preferably nearer one of the sides to afford maximum access to the soap dish.

Instead of the simple brackets of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the soap dish of FIGS. 4 and 5 may be provided with a twopart bracket 32 similar to the brackets of the preceding figures except that one part of this bracket has a universal or ball and socket joint including a generally spherical spring socket 333 having slots 34 with outwardly turned extremities 35 and in which a generally spherical ball on one end of the other part 36 is received and held under spring tension, the part 36 of the bracket 32 having diverging flanges 37 and 38 on its other end by which it is attached to the soap dish. The attachment to the soap dish to the bracket in each of the figures may be in any desired manner as, for example, by securing means which may employ heat or a mere adhesive without heat. With the universal joint the mounting of the soap dish of FIGS. 4 and 5 may be readily accomplished regardless of the angularity of the pipe and due to the length of the portion of the bracket which fits the pipe to which the device is attached, a lateral adjustment of the soap dish will be possible which is not possible with the preceding brackets.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a soap dish can be provided of simple inexpensive construction and substantially negligible cost and this soap dish can be readily mounted by a simple inexpensive bracket, thus making it possible to mount the soap dish convenient to the point of use.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a soap dish of unitary construction having a bottom member with drainage openings therein and upstanding side and end retaining walls with said end walls having top portions extending horizontally and provided with openings for tooth brushes, and said side walls having rolled upper reinforcing edges, and selectively adjustable mounting means therefor comprising a two-part bracket having diverging flanges on an end of one part thereof with surfaces disposed substantially in a single plane and attached to said soap dish, the other part of said bracket having a support engaging bifurcated end comprising opposed and cooperating spring members for engagement about a pipe as a fixed support, said spring members being of a resiliency to firmly grip and be retained on said pipe, said cooperating spring members having outwardly turned tip portions to facilitate application of said two-part bracket onto a supporting pipe, a frictional universal joint connecting the other ends of said two bracketparts including a generally spherical spring socket with slots in the same on said other part and outwardly turned extremities between said slots, and a spherical ball portion of said one of the two bracket parts retained in said generally spherical spring socket of said other of the two bracket parts by the spring action of the latter and frictionally gripped by said spring socket to yieldingly main tain said soap dish in a horizontal plane regardless of the angular position of the pipe forming a support therefor.

2. The combination of a soap dish and mounting means therefor'comprising a two-part bracket having diverging flanges at one end with surfaces disposed substantially in a single plane'and rigidly attached to said soap dish, said two-part bracket being bifurcated at the opposite end thereofand forming opposed cooperative spring members with relatively large surfaces adapted for frictional engagement about a pipe as a fixed support, said spring members being of a resiliency to firmly grip and be yieldably and non-movably retained on said pipe, said spring members having outwardly turned tip portions to facilitate application of said bracket onto the supporting pipe, a frictional universal joint interconnecting the two parts of said bracket including a generally spherical clamping spring snoasse socket portion on one of said parts with slots in the same and outwardly turned extremities between said slots, and a spherical ball portion on the other of said parts frictonally retained and normally immobilized in said generally spherical spring socket by the spring action of the latter whereby the soap dish may be maintained in a horizontal plane regardless of the angularity of the pipe on which it is adapted to be supported;

References Citedv by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,530,180 3/25 Holmes 248229 1,561,432 11/25 Hitchcock 248-230 2,156,025 4/39 Paul 248230 2,191,782 2/40 Valone 248229 2,309,121 1/43 Keely 248-208 2,434,440 1/48 Schafranek 248-360 2,473,376 6/49 King 248212 2,476,948 7/49 Sanford 21l'-73 2,524,173 10/50 Peterson 248229 2,705,385 4/55 Markward 248-214 3,125,824 3/64 Staver 118-76 FRAN B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. THE COMBINATION OF A SOAP DISH OF UNITARY CONSTRUCTION HAVING A BOTTOM MEMBER WITH DRAINAGE OPENINGS THEREIN AND UPSTANDING SIDE AND END RETAINING WALLS WITH SAID END WALLS HAVING TOP PORTIONS EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY AND PROVIDED WITH OPENINGS FOR TOOTH BRUSHES, AND SAID SIDE WALLS HAVING ROLLED UPPER REINFORCING EDGES, AND SELECTIVELY ADJUSTABLE MOUNTING MEANS THEREFOR COMPRISING A TWO-PART BRACKET HAVING DIVERGING FLANGES ON AN END OF ONE PART THEREOF WITH SURFACES DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY IN A SINGLE PLANE AND ATTACHED TO SAID SOAP DISH, THE OTHER PART OF SAID BRACKET HAVING A SUPPORT ENGAGING BIFURCATED END COMPRISING OPPOSED AND COOPERATING SPRING MEMBERS FOR ENGAGEMENT ABOUT A PIPE AS A FIXED SUPPORT, SAID SPRING MEMBERS BEING OF A RESILIENCY TO FIRMLY GRIP AND BE RETAINED ON SAID PIPE, SAID COOPERATING SPRING MEMBERS HAVING OUTWARDLY TURNED TIP PORTIONS TO FACILITATE APPLICATION OF SAID TWO-PART BRACKET ONTO A SUPPORTING PIPE, A FRICTIONAL UNIVERSAL JOINT CONNECTING THE OTHER ENDS OF SAID TWO BRACKETS PARTS INCLUDING A GENERALLY SPHERICAL SPRING SOCKET WITH SLOTS IN THE SAME ON SAID OTHER PART AND OUTWARDLY TURNED EXTREMITIES BETWEEN SAID SLOTS, AND A SPHERICAL BALL PORTION OF SAID ONE OF THE TWO BRACKET PARTS RETAINED IN SAID GENERALLY SPHERICAL SPRING SOCKET OF SAID OTHER OF THE TWO BRACKET PARTS BY THE SPRING ACTION OF THE LATTER AND FRICTIONALLY GRIPPED BY SAID SPRING SOCKET TO YIELDINGLY MAINTAIN SAID SOAP DISH IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE REGARDLESS OF THE ANGULAR POSITION OF THE PIPE FORMING A SUPPORT THEREFOR. 